Swan Lake! A fine Sussex Court... - British Country Homes

“A country house of significant style and grace.“
Rupert Devonshire

Property description

Hunton Court is listed Grade II and unusually for Kent, is constructed of a mellow ragstone reminiscent of that found in the Cotswolds, says selling agent Strutt & Parker.

Tree Lined Driveway Hunton Court — Tree Lined Driveway

This impressive house lies at the end of two long driveways, one of which has a lodge where it meets the public highway, before meandering through 132 acres of beautiful and established 18th Century parkland – that of serpentine lakes, artfully arranged tree planting and ancient and picturesque stone bridges creating a magical setting for this unique house.

Driveway bridge, Swans, Hunton Court — Driveway Bridge

Key features

Immaculately presented Grade II listed country house with eight bedrooms and five reception rooms
Gate Lodge
Stable Cottage
Traditional and modern buildings
Beautiful parkland setting with walled garden and lakes, swimming pool and tennis court
Woodland and pasture
About 132 acres (53.42 ha) in total
For sale as a whole

Hunton Court epitomises all that is expected of an elegant country house. It does not fail to impress.

Behind the three storey house lies a range of traditional buildings, one of which incorporates a cottage and a large walled garden.

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History

Hunton Court dates back to the 13th Century and was once a traditional timber framed 14th Century farmhouse, with a large roof structure and three crown posts which can still be found in the attic rooms today. It was in the early Victorian period that the house was adapted to the existing Georgian style.

Reception Hall Hunton Court — Reception Hall

The team at Country Life Magazine have uncovered the fascinating history about the property:

It hasn’t always been such a calm and pleasant spot, however. There’s more to Hunton Court than meets the eye and, behind its grand Georgian façade, substantial remnants of older buildings, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries and from the Tudor era, hint at times when life at Court Lodge, as it was previously known, was anything but peaceful.
After the Norman Conquest, the monks of Christ Church Priory, Canterbury, were lords of the manor of Hunton. After the Reformation, Hunton Court was granted to Sir Thomas Wyatt, who was knighted and appointed High Sheriff of Kent by Henry VIII.
Fearing for the estates given to them at the Dissolution, Sir Thomas Wyatt’s hot-headed son, also Sir Thomas, led an ill-fated rebellion of his Kentish peers against Queen Mary Tudor, who married the Roman Catholic King Philip of Spain and sought to reverse the English Reformation instituted by her father.
The young Thomas was executed for treason and his estates, including Hunton, were forfeited to the Crown. Elizabeth I later granted Hunton Court to Sir John Baker of Sissinghurst.
The estate subsequently fell on hard times and, according to the historian Edward Hasted, writing in the late 1700s, ‘the whole seat called Court Lodge, near the church, has long been ruinated; but the site of it, as well as the moat which surrounded it, are still visible’.
Country Life Magazine

The Estate was once the country residence of the Bannerman family, starting with Henry Bannerman in 1850. The Estate was subsequently left to his nephew, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who served as Prime Minister from 1905 to 1908. Hunton Court was successively occupied by descendants of the Bannerman family before moving into the ownership of the current vendors in 2008.

Hunton Court is set in a beautiful rural setting on the edge of the quiet village of Hunton, close to Marden and Linton at the foot of the Greensand Ridge.

Hunton itself has a primary school, pre-school and a village hall with a shop, café and public house at nearby Yalding. A more comprehensive range of amenities are available at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.

The surrounding countryside provides a variety of outdoor pursuits such as walking, riding and cycling.

Bridge over lake & Swans — Bridge over the lake

There are excellent road and rail links to London. There are a number of stations nearby, including Marden (4.7 miles) and Paddock Wood (7 miles) with services to London Bridge within 41 minutes. By car it is a seven miles to the M20 at junction 5 which provides links to the M25, Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

Stunning sun trap with a swimming pool at the rear of the house

Hunton Court is well suited in the heart of Kent, and a great variety of schools are available in the surrounding towns and villages, including those nearby at Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Canterbury. Of particular note and within close proximity are Tonbridge School, Sevenoaks School, Dulwich Prep School at Cranbrook, and Benenden School.